This 2015 Environmental Leader “Top Project of the Year” award winner uses wireless gateways to integrate a historical science building into its campus-wide building management system to monitor and manage energy use and reduce costs.

1. CSS-DENISONUNIV-JUNE-15
Denison University:
An award-winning energy upgrade for
F.W. Olin Science Hall
SmartStruxure™ solution with wireless controllers improve
operational and energy efficiency in historical building
Founded in 1831, Denison University in Granville,
Ohio, is one of the earliest colleges to be
established in the old “Northwest Territory,” the
area west of the Allegheny Mountains and north of
the Ohio River in central United States.
Recently, the university decided to upgrade the
F.W. Olin Science Hall’s HVAC and lighting systems
to make them more efficient and to improve
student and faculty comfort.
The project presented several major challenges.
Since the building had been recently renovated,
it was essential that the work not damage or
compromise the interior. As a science building,
special attention needed to be paid to air quality
and consistency to ensure that lab experiments
could be performed reliably. And finally, the timeline
was extremely tight because the work had to be
completed between the spring and fall semesters,
and around summer research programs.
Choosing a trusted partner
To meet these challenges, Denison turned to
Schneider Electric™. The university had been
working with Schneider Electric for many years, and
was already using the company’s SmartStruxure™
solution building management system (BMS) to
monitor and control energy use over most of the
campus. In fact, Denison University was one of the
first sites to install SmartStruxure solution when it
was introduced.
The integrated solution includes Enterprise
Server and WorkStation Professional software for
campus-wide system operation. Buildings have
at least one Automation Server with TAC Xenta™
field controllers connected to HVAC equipment,
Denison University’s
mission statement is
“to inspire and educate
our students to
become autonomous
thinkers, discerning
moral agents and
active citizens
of a democratic
society.” Part of that
commitment is to
be environmentally
responsible and
operate in a
sustainable fashion.

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Wired and wireless controllers are linked to the campus-
wide SmartStruxure solution BMS.
including air handling units, boilers, chillers, cooling
towers, variable air volume terminals and fan coil
units. Some buildings that had Schneider Electric’s
TAC I/NET™ legacy controls were migrated into the
Enterprise Server to simplify day-to-day operations.
“Since we already had SmartStruxure solution on
campus and our buildings’ DDC system needed
upgrading, it made sense to work with Schneider
Electric, especially when the wireless solution was
proposed to help reduce costs and disruption in
the occupied building,” said Denison University’s
Director of Facility Services, Art Chonko.
The Schneider Electric team realized that wired
systems alone would not work in this historical
building. They proposed installing Multi-Purpose
Managers (MPM), the core of the SmartStruxure Lite
solution, as wireless gateways to the campus-wide
BMS. Because MPMs can communicate wirelessly
and seamlessly with SmartStruxure solution,
installation was quick and posed minimal disruption
to the science hall’s operations. Together, these
solutions proved to be the perfect combination for
Denison’s building management needs.
Schneider Electric coordinated with the Denison
team to identify critical labs and equipment that
required special protection and/or environmental
conditions. The project team worked closely with
the mechanical contractor and facilities staff to work
around the timing constraints.
A complete energy make-over
Denison’s goal was to incorporate as many energy-
saving improvements as their budget allowed
and the architecture permitted. To accomplish
this, Schneider Electric created a hybrid system
of wireless and wired technology that improved
performance of all of the systems in the science
building.
Each room was equipped with new digital HVAC
controls to replace the existing TAC I/NET system
that can be programmed for desired setpoints,
along with occupancy sensors that activate and
deactivate lighting, heating, and cooling based
on whether or not the room is in use (except for
certain lab rooms that are maintained at a constant
temperature). Two-way heating and cooling valves
combined with variable frequency drives on the
heating and cooling pumps were installed to reduce
electric consumption by operating as system
demand requires.
Controllers are networked through MPM-UN2
wireless programmable controllers mounted in the
ceiling of each room, which in turn communicate
with an MPM-GW wireless control network gateway
on each floor. Finally, the entire building is linked
to the campus-wide SmartStruxure solution BMS,
allowing remote monitoring and control of all HVAC
and lighting systems.
Immediate and long-term savings
Denison University realized immediate results upon
completion of the project at F.W. Olin Science
Hall. The school reports that energy costs have
dropped considerably, and the Denison team has
noticed that due to enhanced occupant comfort,
productivity for both the faculty and students has
also improved. What’s more, the facilities team uses
the StruxureWare™ Energy Operation dashboard to
view energy trends and reports, allowing them to be
proactive regarding energy consumption issues.
Conclusion
Upgrading historical buildings is always a challenge,
and that challenge is multiplied when there is a short
timeline for completion. By choosing Schneider
Electric as a partner with a wide range of solutions
willing to work closely with the school and the other
contractors, Denison University was able to achieve
a significant improvement in energy performance
and occupant comfort.
The F.W. Olin Science
Hall renovation earned
a 2015 Environmental
Leader Product &
Project Award from
Environmental Leader
magazine.
“HVAC refurbishment
of existing buildings,
especially those
that were built some
time ago as in this
case, are tricky, so
successful projects
like this should be
showcased in order
to get more building
owners updating their
HVAC systems. The
campus-wide building
automation system in
addition to the short
timeline of completion
are impressive.”
- Environmental Leader
Product & Project
Awards judge